The Ami Tribe of Southeast Formosa
By a Watchtower Society missionary in Japan
THEY are called “uncivilized.” Which makes us wonder how “civilization” should be defined. True, they live on a primitive diet of rice, with some meats, eggs and tropical fruits thrown in for flavoring. Big families of several generations are crowded in thatch-roofed houses. They do not have the educational or medical benefits of the Western world, but they are a far, far happier people than those of the West. One of their own number, a minister of Jehovah God, describes them as follows:
“In place of knowledge of letters, the primitive Ami tribe have keen perception, thoughtfulness and reasoning power. Once you tell them anything, they never forget. They are born that way. It is natural with them. In their depth of feeling they are a special people. Compared with other people they are simple and honest. Newly hearing of God’s kingdom and the hope of everlasting life, they take a special interest in it.
“Being uncivilized, they are different from this complicated modern world. Their field of worldly knowledge is limited, but they are a satisfied, cool-headed group that live close to nature.
“In preaching the Bible from house to house, mature, literate ministers take along the illiterate. Many who listen, too, are illiterate, so that Taiwan’s good-will people do not gain their understanding in the same way as those who can read and write, and turn up Bible quotations. The general procedure with those who do not understand the Japanese characters of the literature is to talk to them, and keep on talking. They listen well without interrupting, the words connecting in their hearts, and their minds quietly reflecting. Even though they have never heard the message before, they understand well. After listening they do not try to argue, but ask questions concerning what they have heard. The minister then opens his Bible and explains further. Even those who can read and write like at first to hear a discourse from the minister. Then they ask their questions, and the answers are given from the Bible.
“Our experience is that those who can read and write get some appreciation. But the percentage of those who accept the truth through hearing rather than reading is far greater.
“Our house-to-house work leads to home Bible studies. In conducting a Bible study in a house, the family is divided into two groups, the literate and the illiterate. The literate good-will people are instructed by the usual study method. In the study with the illiterate, the minister uses the Japanese ‘Let God Be True’ or The Watchtower. At first the minister reads out the material in Japanese. Then he translates and explains it in the Ami dialect. He follows this explanation by asking the question, and then letting them answer it. In this way they will study hard for hours of an evening. But the results of this oral explanation are good, and fit the circumstances in Taiwan. While continually preaching the good news the way we do, the good-will people are increasing everywhere, beyond what we realize.”
Uncivilized? Maybe selfish worldlings would say so. But the Ami tribe are not a people to get their minds cluttered up with the ambitions and philosophies of this corrupt and violent world. They are taking in the simple, eternal truths of God’s Word, and doing this so zealously that their number of active ministers increased during 1953 to 1,205, to compare with an average of little more than 300 last year.